PROFESSOR U MUHAMMAD IQBAL outlines the impact of rejecting a scripture in relation to the Prophet as well as in relation to Allah.
The normative statements about the Prophet (May Allah bless and greet him) are as follows. “He who obeys the Messenger thereby obeys Allah.” (4:80) “Those who swore fealty to you (O Prophet), in fact, swore fealty to Allah. The Hand of Allah is above their hands.” (48:10)
Allah makes it clear, “The lights of clear perception have now come to you from your Lord,…. he who chooses to remain blind does so to his own harm.” (6:104) “Your people have denied it even though it is the Truth.” (6:66) “They are aware of the favours of Allah, and yet refuse to acknowledge them. Most of them are determined not to accept the Truth.” (16:83)
The Prophet (May Allah bless and greet him) is made to proclaim, “I fear for you the chastisement of an awesome Day. Unto Allah is your return and He has power to do everything,” (11:3, 4) Jesus Christ had told his listeners that God “has power to throw you into hell.” (St. Luke 12:5)
Allah advises the Prophet to tell his denigrators, “Allah is sufficient for me, there is no other God but Him. In Him I have put my trust, He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne.” (9:129)
On being rebuffed, the Prophet feels discomfited and frustrated. Allah provides solace for him in several ways:
1) He is told that he is “most certainly a plain warner.” (15:89) “I have warned you all alike.” (21:109)
2) His duty is over when he delivers the message clearly and completely. (5:92) (16:82) Allah tells the rejecters directly. “Our Messenger has no other duty than to clearly convey the truth.” (64:12)
3) He is not a keeper (hafeez) or a guardian (vakeel) over the rejecters. (4:80,6:66)
4) The example of other Prophets is cited for him to take heart. Prophet Moses warned, “Chastisement awaits those who called the lie to the truth and turned away from it.” (20:48) “If you don’t believe what I say, leave me alone (and desist from laying hands on me).” (44:21)
5) They rejected Prophet Noah by saying, “Shall we accept you even though it is the meanest of people who follow you?” (26:11) The Prophet’s rejecters reacted in a similar manner. “Shall we believe as the fools have believed?” (2:13)
6) The rejecters used to threaten the Messengers, “We will stone you.” (36:17) And, indeed, they indulged in extreme violence too. So, Prophet Moses said, “Leave me alone.”
7) It is not the Prophet’s responsibility to guide one (enslaved by carnal desire) to the Right Way. (25:43)
8) Ultimate victory is reserved for Allah and His Messengers. “Our hosts shall triumph.” (5:56, 37:173, 58:21) They cannot render Allah powerless in the land. (24:57)
9) Allah oversees those who prefer others to Allah as protectors. (42:6)
10) Advice repeatedly given to the Prophet (May Allah bless and greet him) is: So leave them alone those who turn away from Our remembrance and who seek nothing but the life of the world for that being the utmost of their knowledge. Surely your Lord fully knows those who have strayed away from His Path and He fully knows all those who are rightly guided.” (53:29, 30) He is informed that they indulge in vanities and frolic about, (43:83) engage in vain talk and amuse themselves, (70:42) and are immersed in heedlessness. (23:54)
11) There will be no blame if he turns his attention from them. (51:54, 54:6,7)
12) There are others who disturb law and order and foment trouble. The instruction given is: O Prophet, strive against the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and be severe with them. (66:9) “Indeed the Message revealed to you from your Lord will lead to the aggravation of insurgence and unbelief in many of them.” (5:68)
13) Our beloved Prophet (May Allah bless and greet him) was cut to the quick by the hostility, the ridicule, the rejection; and the slurs that he had to put up with and Allah used to console him with statements like the following: “Let their words not grieve you.” (36:76) “(O Prophet), if they do not believe in this Message, you will perhaps torment yourself to death with grief, sorrowing over them.” (18:6) “O Messenger, do not be grieved on account of those who vie with one another in disbelieving,” (5:41)
14) Allah informs him, “Surely we suffice to deal with those who scoff at you.” (15:95) Allah is His Protector. (8:40) The opponents of Moses and Aaron were utterly destroyed. (25:36)
IMPACT OF REJECTION
IN RELATION TO ALLAH
If we follow the Prophet, Allah promises that He will love us. (3:31) It is also stated, “Allah does not love those who refuse to obey Him and His Messenger.” (3:32) He knows those who turn their backs and who cause mischief. (3:63) He reminds them that He is the sole Owner of all that is in the heavens and the earth. “Allah is Self-Sufficient, Most Praiseworthy.” (4:131) “Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” (4:170)
It is prophesied, “All those who accept Allah and His Messenger and the believers as their allies should remember that the party of Allah will be triumphant.” (5:56)
Allah gave the Book, judgment and Prophethood to many Prophets of the past. If their followers refuse to believe in the Qur’ān, Allah reserves the right to bestow “this favour on a people who believe in it.” (6:89)
Allah spells out different forms of punishment that He can mete out to those who aggressively reject the Truth. If He desires, chastisement can be sent forth upon them from above, from beneath their feet and they can be split into mutually warring and hostile groups. (6:65) “Do those who have been designing evil plans (against the Messenger’s mission) feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them up or that chastisement will not come upon them from a direction that they will not be able to imagine or that He will not suddenly seize them while they are going about to and fro and they will be unable to frustrate His design, or that He will not seize them when they are apprehensive of the impending calamity? Surely your Lord is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.” (16:45-47)
No supernatural powers can work against Allah’s will, “Do they have any gods who would protect them against Us? They have no power even to help themselves nor do they enjoy Our support.” (21:43)
To reject the Divine Message of the Qur’ān offhand and without an application of mind is by no means an act of discretion and it is fraught with grave consequences. Allah promises He will question such rejecters on the Day of Judgment. (27:84) They themselves will regret their act of unexamined rejection. (67:10)
In this world, they are addressed as follows: “If you disbelieve, know well that Allah has no need of you. Yet He does not like unbelief in His servants.” (39:7) Disbelief, barring others from accepting Islam, opposing the Messenger, clinging to unbelief to the last breath – all these are activities that will not cause Allah the least harm. Instead, those indulging in such activities will be deprived of Allah’s forgiveness and their deeds will fetch them no reward. (47:32, 34)
Allah makes it clear that the rejection of the Prophet is nothing but the rejection of Allah who anointed him as a Prophet. He tells His appointee that He will deal with the rejecters of the Qur’ān. When God calls us through His scripture, isn’t it the duty of each one of us to respond to the truth from Him, Al-Haqqu mir Rabbik, by reading it at least out of sheer gratitude for His initiative to guide us? That will be in keeping with our highest appreciation of and devotion to God.
O People! Now that the Messenger has come to you bearing the Truth from your Lord, believe in him; it will be good for you. (4: 170)
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